‘I used a hairdryer to warm my daughter’s feet’

In the very first episode of Access All, Nikki Fox meets the families with disabled children who rely on specialist medical equipment and are facing very difficult decisions as energy bills in the UK soar. Dan’s taken to lifting his 12-year-old daughter, Emily, from sofa to wheelchair rather than use her power-guzzling hoist. It might save money, but it’s damaging his back. Single-mum, Adele, wants to take her terminally ill daughter, Molly, out on day trips but with lifts and suction machines needing to be charged, it’s become impossible to pay for these outings. Nikki and Emma Tracey explore exclusive figures obtained for the podcast from the charity Contact, which surveyed 5,500 families about the impact of increasing energy costs. Almost 2,000 families said they feared their child's condition would get worse as a result of rising prices. Ever wanted to join a gym, but found the biggest barrier is walking through the door? Emma has the lowdown on how to begin your gym-journey while revealing her own blindie anxieties. And baking legend, Briony May Williams chats cake, limb difference, learning to love the ‘d’ word and why she’s so excited about her brand new comedy show. This week’s Access All was made by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker. The cost of living producer was Alice Cuddy. The technical producer was Dave O’Neill.

The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall.